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Cassius Dio's Speeches and the Collapse of the Roman Republic
The Roman History, Books 3â56
Series: - Historiography of Rome and Its Empire, Volume: 7
Author:
In Cassius Dioâs Speeches and the Collapse of the Roman Republic, Christopher Burden-Strevens provides a radical reinterpretation of the importance of public speech in one of our most significant historical sources for the bloody and dramatic transition from Republic to Principate. Cassius Dioâs Roman History, composed in eighty books early in the 3rd century CE, has only recently come to be appreciated as a sophisticated work of history-writing. In this book, Burden-Strevens demonstrates the central role played by speeches in Dioâs original analysis of the decline of the Republic and the success of the emperor Augustusâ regime, including a detailed study of their possible sources, themes, methods of composition, and their distinctiveness within the traditions of Roman historiography.
Christopher Burden-Strevens (Ph.D. 2015, University of Glasgow) is Lecturer in Roman History at The University of Kent. He has published and edited numerous studies on Roman historiography, including most recently Cassius Dioâs Forgotten History of Early Rome (Brill, 2019).
"Speeches are part of the historical narrative; they can add information which the author may not be inclined to share in his own voice; and they can reveal more of the authorâs evaluation of his characters and the historical events he is narrating. Therefore, it behoves us to grant the speeches particular thought and analysis. This is the main objective which this book intends to achieve and it does so successfully."
- Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, in Histos 15 (2021).
"Burden-Strevens has written an indispensable study of Cassius Dioâs Roman History, which should be read carefully by any scholar of Dio, and, I would say, anyone investigating the Greek historiography of the Empire writ large." Leanne Jansen, BMCR 2021.12.22
- Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, in Histos 15 (2021).
"Burden-Strevens has written an indispensable study of Cassius Dioâs Roman History, which should be read carefully by any scholar of Dio, and, I would say, anyone investigating the Greek historiography of the Empire writ large." Leanne Jansen, BMCR 2021.12.22
Historiography of Rome and Its Empire Series
Acknowledgements
Table of Speeches
1 Introduction
â1âFrom One King to Another
â2âSpeechwriting and the Historian
â3âCassius Dio and the Decline of the Republic
â4âThe Historian and his World
â5âUsing This Book
2 Method
â1âThe Composition of Dioâs Speeches: Three Problems
â2âThree Problems, or Three Strengths?
3 Oratory
â1âBeginnings: Early Roman Oratory
â2âDecline: Dynasty and Deception
â3âRestoration: Augustus and the Principate
4 Morality
â1âEnvy and Odium
â2âSelfish Ambition, or Love of Honour?
â3âCovetousness and Cupidity
â4âMoral Revolution, or Constitutional Change?
5 Institutions & Empire
â1âSuccessive Office-Holding and the High Command
â2âThe Dictatorship and Tyranny
â3âTradition and Innovation
6 Epilogue
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
Table of Speeches
1 Introduction
â1âFrom One King to Another
â2âSpeechwriting and the Historian
â3âCassius Dio and the Decline of the Republic
â4âThe Historian and his World
â5âUsing This Book
2 Method
â1âThe Composition of Dioâs Speeches: Three Problems
â2âThree Problems, or Three Strengths?
3 Oratory
â1âBeginnings: Early Roman Oratory
â2âDecline: Dynasty and Deception
â3âRestoration: Augustus and the Principate
4 Morality
â1âEnvy and Odium
â2âSelfish Ambition, or Love of Honour?
â3âCovetousness and Cupidity
â4âMoral Revolution, or Constitutional Change?
5 Institutions & Empire
â1âSuccessive Office-Holding and the High Command
â2âThe Dictatorship and Tyranny
â3âTradition and Innovation
6 Epilogue
Bibliography
Index
All students and specialists in the history of the Late Republic and Augustan Principate, as well as scholars of ancient historiography (especially the Greek history-writing of Rome).